Injury news: Caldwell to play, trio enjoy successful VFL returns

Essendon will benefit from the return of Jye Caldwell this week, with the midfielder cleared to play ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Sydney at Marvel Stadium.

The 24-year-old hasn’t featured since round three due to a hamstring strain, now set to bolster the side’s midfield personnel after a successful recovery.

Three AFL-listed Bombers in Matt Guelfi, Nik Cox and Angus Clarke all got through their return games well via the VFL over the weekend, set to offer the squad with more selection depth over the coming weeks.

As reported after Thursday night’s win over North Melbourne, Jordan Ridley and Harrison Jones are both set for stints on the sidelines with respective injuries coming out of that game.

Ridley’s estimated return to play timeframe from his high-grade hamstring injury is around eight weeks, while Jones’ expected return to play is yet to be determined as he recovers from a dislocated ankle and minor foot fracture.

Jade Gresham will also miss this week’s game with a low-grade adductor strain, however will look to be available for the Bulldogs fixture the following week.

Player	Injury	Estimated Return
5. Elijah Tsatas	Hamstring	1 week Scans confirmed a hamstring strain for Tsatas following round 18.
7. Zach Merrett	Hand	1 week Merrett suffered a fracture in his hand against Geelong in round 22.
6. Jye Caldwell	Syndesmosis	2 weeks Caldwell will undergo surgery after a syndesmosis injury in round 17.
14. Jordan Ridley	Hamstring	2 weeks Ridley is recovering from a hamstring strain.
26. Archie May	Ankle	2-3 weeks May suffered an ankle injury against the Cats in round 22.
30. Nate Caddy	Groin	TBC Caddy will miss the round 23 clash with St Kilda due to a groin injury.
32. Ben McKay	Foot	TBC Ben McKay has a ruptured plantar plate in his foot.
2. Sam Draper	Achilles	Season Draper suffered a ruptured Achilles late in the round six win over West Coast.
3. Darcy Parish	Calf	Season Parish is recovering from a calf strain sustained at training.
12. Will Setterfield	Foot	Season Will Setterfield injured his foot against Richmond and will miss the remainder of 2025.
13. Nik Cox	Concussion	Season Cox suffered the effects of a concussion from his return to VFL.
18. Lewis Hayes	ACL	Season Hayes suffered an ACL injury during his debut game against Sydney in round nine.
23. Harrison Jones	Ankle	Season Jones dislocated his ankle in round eight.
24. Nick Bryan	ACL	Season Nick Bryan suffered an ACL tear in round five against Melbourne.
31. Zach Reid	Hamstring	Season Reid will undergo surgery on his hamstring, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
37. Nic Martin	ACL	Season Martin tore his ACL in the round 18 clash against Richmond.
45. Thomas Edwards	ACL	Season Edwards has suffered a ruptured ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.